Born Dead
by figments
Summary: "Gotham's crime rate is dying down, but something is happening. It seems almost like the calm in the storm, and I am stuck in the middle". For Laina, life has never been ordinary, with Gotham's most prestigious criminals as her only family, however, she secretly works as an information source for the Dark Knight. But what truly is her reason for helping? Read and Find out!
1. Chapter 1: 7 years ago

NOTE: I don't own batman. Not even a little bit.

"Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant, filled with odd waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like." ~Lemony Snicket

**Born Dead**

Everything looked seemingly perfect, the snow falling from the deep grey sky, creating a picturesque scene like on a cheap post card labeled "Marry Christmas from Gotham". But things were never as they seemed, were they? All you had to do was spend ten minutes in Gotham to know things were never hat "merry". The numbing cold and the howling wind emptied the park and I ended up being all alone in the cold. I shifted uneasily in the park bench as I rubbed the surfacing bruise on my round pale cheek. Sighing, I stood wondering my options. I couldn't go back there, no way. I was a walking foster care check to them, but moving to a different house with the same old tune didn't suit me either. So here I was.

The teachers had always told me I could be anything I wanted, that I was bright and promising. Heh. Those words mean nothing if you barley have food to eat, if your life is falling apart from the seams. Gotham is split into two groups, the optimistic that think that Batman and the police will save us all and keep us safe, and those that think that Gotham is going to hell and might be some fun before it burns. I was stuck in the middle. I knew the so called 'Dark knight' wouldn't save me, but I also knew that thing could always get worse.

I laughed to myself. I was nine years old. Pessimistic, rude, and disrespectful… according to most. Obviously I was much smarter than other children, only making me more of an outsider. Then again, I found no joy in playing tag, in playing four square and making crappy bracelets out of sticky dandelion stems. I ran faster, learned more, and could _do_ more than kids my age, and even those older than me. Given such promise for what? To be wasted, beaten, and starved? I think whatever God may exist just conjured this up to show other people that their life isn't as bad as they thought. I mean, c'mon! What else could go wrong in one person's life? Just ask! I am living the answer.

As those thoughts swam through my brain I saw a hazy figure in the distance making its way toward me. I suddenly became all too aware of how late it was, and how far I was from my so called "home". The haze of white only blocked and warped my view of the figure (figures?) approaching. I reached into my coat, my numb hands tingling as I roughly wrapped my fingers around the can of pepper spray I had stashed in my pocket.

They. Two of them approached me. A couple hopefully? I thought of ways to run, where the closest public pace was. But I tried to look calm. Unfortunately, This wasn't an easy task considering my heart was pounding as if it was struggling to free itself from my body. Suspicion raced through my thoughts, I was never one for good luck, it seemed. Better safe than sorry?

They continued to walk toward me, and I still ignored them, focusing my eyes elsewhere. As they passed by me I realised that it was a couple, a man and a woman walking together, her trailing behind him. Giggling, I think. This struck me as a little odd. They were wearing full length brown coats with scarves and a hat concealing a good portion of their faces, the darkness shielding the rest from my view. As they continued to pass me I felt relief flood my body. However the man turned sharply and spoke in my direction.

"What'cha doing out here on such a cold night, kid?" His voice was somewhat familiar, scratchy and stretched. My veins turned to ice as he stared to casually waltz toward me sitting on the opposite side of the bench, starching his arms out and crossing one leg over the other as if lounging. She crouched on the ground beside him, staring at him adoringly with large eyes.

"Just enjoying the landscape.", I said evenly as I could.

"Now why would someone do something like that at night?" He questioned raising one eye brow and narrowing his intense green eyes.

"Maybe I have night vision", I replied sarcastically "or maybe I'm a vampire, you never know what kind of people lurk around Gotham at night." I could feel his gaze. He just sat there eyes glued to me for several minutes before he started to laugh. His cracked cackle rang through the park as a smile stretched past the scarf, now falling from a very pale face. Inside my pocket I let go of the pepper spray tightly in my fingers. That wasn't going save me now.

"You know what Harl, I think she's right," He said turning to the woman who was standing beside him. She nodded, her head bobbing up and down frantically, loosening her scarf."You never know what loons you might meet out here." He said dramatically before breaking out into another long peel of laughter.

"This is just great! Not only am I stuck out in the cold, but now accompanied by none other than the Joker and Harley Quinn." I said whispered aloud. I mean couldn't a girl have a break? What did I do? Boil live puppies in a past life? Maybe kittens? I looked over to see Joker and Harleys faces staring at me. A excited and happy look lit up Harley's face while a mischievous smile was plastered across joker's face. I closed my eyes.

Yep, that had to be it… Kittens.


	2. Chapter 2: 4 Years ago

4 Years ago

I sighed to myself while watching the television. Harley and the joker had been caught in the middle of an elaborate scheme by none other than the dark knight and boy wonder. I paced around the green house knowing that ivy would be angry when she got home. Very angry. The sound of water flowing through the small river, or the leaves swaying in the breeze did not calm me as they usually did. It only made me antsier. My idle hands ended up combing through my long blonde hair, pulling through tangles as my thoughts raced.

I turned into my room and shut the door, trying to calm myself down a little bit. The room was a dark shade of purple with a small bed and dresser, and a simple mirror over that. It was plain, but it felt like home. I moved here last year after I got tired of Jokers games. I didn't realise how much I hated him until I found how much better my life was without him. The constant threats, murder, and laughing were just a taste of why I hated Joker so only reason I stayed two years was for Harley. She was crazy, and I did get a couple good wallops from that damn mallet of hers, but she was a sweetheart most of the time. Not a good parent, but she did at least try. Unlike Joker. Ugh. Five minutes in a room with him and I am ready to pull my hair out. I pushed away that thought. That was not important right now, and thankfully Joker was in Arkham, and even better far far far away from me. I

Ivy was more like a parent to me. It turns out a plant has better maternity judgement than a clown. Who knew? We bonded over our mutual hate of Joker and my intelligence made it easy for me to grasp and excel in botany. Worry lined my thoughts because Ivy won't be happy until Harley is out of Arkham, but if she releases Harley, then Harley will break out Joker, who will get their buts thrown back in jail. It's strange how even the elite criminal masterminds of Gotham City find themselves in such a rut.

When I heard the door of the green house open I braced myself for the worst. Inhaling deeply I opened the door a crack and slid myself onto the other plants and yelling was the only possible outcome of Ivy's anger. However flying plants did not come, instead I got Catwoman. I ran up and hugged her. But her usual calm face was tugged into a look of worry.

"What's wrong?" I asked peering up at her. She sighed a long, heavy sigh and sat down on the wicker seat next to the Middlemist Red flowers.

"Laina, Batman knows." She stated. I stared blankly for about thirty seconds until she continued, "…about you."

"Let me guess." I said exasperated, "Joker told him." That man couldn't keep his mouth shut if his lips were sewn together. Selina just nodded. "Does he know I'm here? With Ivy?"

"He doesn't know that you live with her, but he does know that you exist, and that I know where you are."

"Does Ivy know?" I asked Selina.

"I do now." Ivy waltzed into the room, the plants jumping and thriving about as she passed by. Selina didn't even blink. "The bat wants to meet her." She said simply. I could help it, I started to laugh. "Are you serious? I bet he thinks I'm like a mini psycho or something." Selina and Ivy both gave me a stern look. I stopped laughing and sat down on the stone floor beside the chair, leaning on it. "Is there any way to get around it?" Ivy asked. "Nope. He'll find her catch on sooner or later." Ivy sighed and looked at me, putting a green hand on my shoulder. "Do you want to?" I met Ivy's intense green gaze ith my own. "Do I even have a choice?"

Ivy fussed with my hair, trying to make it stay straight, however my wispy hair flew everywhere with the slightest breeze, so she put it up in a bun, defeated. I let her choose my clothes (begrudgingly) because she dismissed three out fits already. She wanted me to wear a skirt. Why? At this point I'm considering just showing up in a towel. Then, when I'm thrown into the mental ward, I can just get into a nice comfy straight jacket without worrying about the clothes I was wearing before. Genius. Ivy pushed a headband into my hair, it digging into my skin as she did.

"Laina, don't look at me like that." She said sighing.

I held up the clothes for her to see. "I'm going to stand out wearing this, just let me put on some pants, these tights are killing me."

"No," she said sternly. "You are wearing those even if I have to hold you down with vines and shove them on you." She put her green hands perfectly on her hips. "Besides, they will make you look less pale." I gazed at myself in the mirror. The white of my skin was one shade better than a piece of paper. My full red lips stuck out against the pale of my skin, and my sharp green eyes stabbed me in my reflection. "That and a lot of fake spray tan." This launched a staring contest and finally I admitted defeat.

"Fine."


End file.
